Ben Clarkson disappearance: Vital witnesses sought

IMAGES have been released of men who might have seen missing York man Ben Clarkson just before his disappearance.

Ben, 22, from Heworth Green, was last seen at about 3.30am on Sunday, March 2, following a night out in Fibbers with a colleague.

Since then, police divers have spent several days searching the River Foss, and his girlfriend and friends have taken to the streets to hand out leaflets and posters and urge anyone who has seen him to contact the police.

Yesterday, North Yorkshire Police released details of two men they believe were walking in the same area as Ben around the time he disappeared.

The first is a white man, wearing a light jacket with dark trousers and shoes. He walked along Stonebow, heading towards the junction with Foss Islands Road, on the opposite side of the road to Ben.

A short time later, he took the same route as Ben, walking past National Windscreens in Layerthorpe.

Officers said a second man spoke to Ben in the smoking area of Fibbers a short time before he left the club. He is white, with short dark hair and was wearing a red checked shirt, fastened at the collar, a white t-shirt and dark trousers.

Inspector Neil Drummond, of York Police, said: “If you believe you could be either of the people described above, I urge you to get in touch with us straight away. I am sure the person who walked along Layerthorpe will have seen Ben as he made his way home and will be able to help identify the route he took.

“I also need to speak to the man at Fibbers as although he spoke with Ben, his friends didn’t recognise him, and I ask that he gets in touch. Can I ask anyone who recognises either of the men to encourage them to contact us, or pass their details to us, so that we can speak to them.”

More than 2,300 people have supported the Help Find Ben Clarkson page on Facebook since it launched last week, sharing the details of Ben’s disappearance around the country, and urging anyone who has seen him in the last eight days to get in touch.

Inspector Drummond added: “Ben, if you see or hear this appeal, please get in touch with your family, friends or the police straight away. We all simply want to know that you are safe and well.”

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